Percy Jackson Legacy:  Rise of the East
by 12DEHD
Summary: When Hyperion escapes from his wooden imprisonment, it's up to three unlikely heroes, with the help of a Neodemigod! Group fic, our first, set 25yrs after TLO. LH never happened.
1. Prologue

Okay, here it is. It's been posted and taken off a total of three times now, but now we have a betareader and our group has turned to anarchy and now, we're voting on everything. So, without further to do, DEHD presents to you, Percy Jackson: Legacy - The Rise of the East.

**Disclaimer-** Rick Riordan owns this great series, we're just piggybacking for our own enjoyment. And yours, or course. The only thing we own is the prophecy, and that's still only two of us that made it up. Rambling now . . . Shut up. Okay!

The storm was terrible. The loud booming clap of thunder was soon followed by a bright flash of lightning. Huge storm clouds loomed ominously over Camp Half-Blood. The campers scurried around, dashing madly for their cabins.

Chiron looked towards the sky. This was like no other storm he had ever seen.

_No, it couldn't be..._

"Chiron! Chiron!" The centaur turned around and saw Annabeth running toward him.

"Rachel's gone all Oracle-y!"

_Oracle-y?_

"Let's go."

They caught her right as Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Oracle of Apollo, started the prophecy.

"Beware the son of Eagle's wrath.

The Sun leaves none in the aftermath.

Against them four shall come forth, plus one,

One - "

_BOOOOM!_

The thunder crashed. Part of the prophecy was drowned out in the screaming weather.

"Battle to be won." As soon as the words left her mouth, Rachel collapsed. Annabeth caught her and, with Chiron's assistance, carried her to the Big House. Once the trio was sheltered from the driving rain, Annabeth asked Chiron,

"What does it all mean?"

"I don't know," Chiron's thoughtful expression faltered for a moment.

"Go get Percy. Perhaps he might have a clue."

As the door closed, the old centaur's face darkened. This could only mean one thing.

Hyperion had returned.


	2. Chapter 1 Storms, Prophecies, and Titans

**5:43pm, Central Park, New York, NY. May 25, 2014**

"It's about time I was freed from that blasted tree," the titan groaned.

"Mortal, fetch me some food."

"Yes, master," the young demigod replied, his mousy face tightening in distaste.

_You free a glorious titan, and what do you get? You get to be his personal servant._

Lost in his thoughts, the demigod walked straight into his boss.

"Oh, I uh, Master! I was - well, um . . ."

"That's quite alright, Darby. I'll take it from here." The young man's voice was light and gentle, but Darby could see the angry glint in his boss's eyes.

"Oh, um, of course, sir. I was just going to -" Darby stuttered.

"Step aside."

"Okay." Darby said. Oh, man, he was dead now.

"Go . . . go tend to the . . . livestock." And with that, Darby's boss strode towards the freed titan.

Instead of scurrying off to the "livestock", like a good little henchman, Darby waited for his boss to turn the corner, then scurried after him.

"You are not my food, I suppose." The titan said.

"No, sir." Darby's boss replied. "I am the one who commissioned this task of releasing you from your imprisonment."

"Oh?"

"Yes, my lord."

"I see. What do you hope to gain from this venture?" the great titan inquired. "From my experience with mortals, I have learned they require payment for everything."

"I only wish to aid you on your quest of vengeance on Olympus." Darby's boss answered.

"So be it."

With those words, the titan and Darby's boss talked and planned well into the night, unbeknownst of the seventeen-year-old eavesdropper outside their tent.

_Yes, _Darby's boss mused. _This will work out quite nicely._


	3. Chapter 2: Books, Flowers, and Shovels

**Disclaimer- ** DEHD owns every character in this chapter! Thanks!

**15 Years Later...**

**8:16am, May 24, 2029. Lotus Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV**

_All done._

The heavy book sailed through the air, right across the empty street, and smashed into the stomach of a man in a Hawaiian print shirt and Bermuda shorts. The cheerful blond man picked himself up off the ground, gently dusting himself off. He heaved the doorstop of a book off his sandal-ed toe, waved it in the air at a young man across the street, and called out,

"Excuse me, sir, is this your book?" The only thing he received in response was a very rude hand gesture as the boy turned around and climbed into the dumpster across the street.

"What a strange person." The bellhop muttered, staring at the book, _War and Peace_. Finally, he dropped the book and turned back to the gaming wonderland of his Lotus Hotel and Casino and soon forgot about the boy.

David Han tossed himself over the side of his dumpster, sinking into the soft layer of filth. _One more book finished, one more moron hit by it. _He took a moment to savor the peaceful moment. He loved his life. No chores, no worries, no problems, the only thing was - no girls. _Oh,well. I'm still young, I got time. _Here he was, living in a dumpster just outside the Lotus Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. David was only thirteen, but he lived by himself, all known relatives dead or unwilling to care for him. Over the years, he had taught himself to read and write with the help with some kind strangers, but sometimes David felt he was being guided by someone he could not touch or see.

Every now and then, David would apply for a temporary or one-day job to earn a bit of money. _I could care less, I'm doing better than 10% of America right now,_ he mused as he reached for his journal, deciding to record the past few minutes.

* * *

><p><em><span>...moron hit by it.<span>_ David finished his scribbling and tossed his book to the foot of the dumpster. _Well, that's that. Better go job searching. Hey, maybe I'll get lucky today. You never know. _He tossed his long hair back, laughing at the thought of getting a permanent job. Time to pack up. David pulled his old drawstring bag out of a puddle of soda, wincing at the smell of rancid meat and Mountain Dew. He rooted around the area before pulling out his journal, a pen that never seemed to run out of ink, and a freshly sharpened pocketknife. He had been living in this dumpster for four years. Maybe it was time to move on.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Lou," A burly man called from the depths of Lou's Flowers, located on the Las Vegas Strip. "We got the kid on the radar. He's moving towards us, looking for another job."<p>

"I'll handle it from here, Ray. Thanks for the help. Just go prepare the van." Lou dashed across the room to the printer at an alarming speed, skidded to a stop and grabbed a piece of paper before shooting out the door into the main area of the shop.

* * *

><p>David strolled down the Strip, scanning for a potential job out of the multitudes of places of business. His eyes settled upon a small shop nestled between two closed nightclubs; Lou's Flowers. A small piece of paper was tacked to the large glass window next to the CLOSED sign. It read:<p>

WANTED

Delivery boy for **Lou's Florists**

Job: Delivering flowers to customers in the Las Vegas area

Requirements: Between ages of 11 and 15; 13 is best

- Must know way around city

- Must have mode of transportation

Pay: $15/hour plus tips

Report to Mr. Lou Treeman

David couldn't believe his luck. Sure, the age requirement was a little suspicious, but he wasn't complaining; not then, at least. The pay was great, and he was perfect for the job. He hadn't grown up in a dumpster in Vegas just so he couldn't know his way around the city. He tore the paper off the glass window and pulled the door open, blatantly ignoring the Closed sign.

David walked right through the door straight into an empty shop. The lights were out, but the sun shone through the window, illuminating the marvelous works of Lou Treeman and company.

"Hello?" David called into the shadows covering the interior of the shop. He wandered over to the counter in front of the door leading to the belly of the shop where all the real work took place. He climbed over the counter and pushed open the door, ignoring the "EMPLOYEES ONLY" sign.

"Bill? Is that you?" A husky voice called from even deeper in the steam-filled room. David began to walk in the direction of the voice. As he walked, David thought he heard a faint melody, like an old plant he observed seemed to be swaying to the beat of the eerie music. David realized the steam was starting to dissipate, so he began to slow down. He sprang out of the steam to confront a middle-aged man... with horns. David blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. What he saw wasn't much better. The guy wasn't wearing pants, which was creepy enough on its own, but his legs were furry, oddly bent, and where his feet should have been, he had cloven hooves!

"You . . . What . . . You . . ." David stuttered as the employee advanced. David was so busy trying to comprehend what was happening, he barely noticed the goat-man pick something off the ground. Suddenly, a dirt-encrusted shovel filled David's view and everything went black.


	4. Chapter 3: Diaries, Cookies and Knitting

**Disclaimer- **DEHD owns Aidan, Hanna, and Dottie Conners, also Kylie Williams. Oh, and Angela Conners. Thanks! ;)

* * *

><p><strong> 1:59pm, May 24, 2029. Hollywood, CA<strong>

_Dear Journal,_

_ Grandma thinks I need to keep a diary. I said no. But, if I have to keep a journal, I should probably make the introductions._

_ My name is Hanna Conners. I am 14 years old, I live with my grandparents and my twin brother Aidan in a nice place in Hollywood. It's not really a mansion here, but larger than a normal house around these parts. Pretty much a mansion anywhere else. Am I rambling again? Shut up, Hanna. Ok. Good. Anyhoo, my mom was named Angela. I say was 'cause she was killed in a car crash when I was five, never knew my dad. Whatever. Kylie's here, so I'm leaving. Don't expect me to write later._

_ Hanna_

* * *

><p>The grandmother watched as her granddaughter tromped down the spiral staircase, long brown hair flying. Throwing herself over the handrail for good measure, her bright green eyes flashed as she shot out the door. Dottie could never understand why her daughter had not waited to be married before having kids. Angela had always been so reckless. Dottie remembered when her daughter had just had Hanna and Aidan. Angela's boyfriend had been very...interesting. He had left Angela shortly after learning she was pregnant.<p>

Dottie was brought back to reality by a loud buzzing as the cookie timer went off. A girl with long, tightly curled red hair was walking towards her.

"Hello, Mrs. Conners."

"Why, hello Kylie. The cookies just finished baking, if you want any. They're your favorite- White Chocolate chip."

Before Kylie could answer, however, Hanna called, "Hey, Ky, come on!"

Dottie shook her head, causing her gray hair to bounce. Kylie was the complete opposite of Hanna. She was calm, considerate, and one of the few reasons Hanna had not run away yet. Hanna, Kylie, and Aidan were a close group of friends. If one left, Dottie knew the others would soon follow. Sighing, she got up out of her chair and walked to the window. As she watched as the trio set up the backyard for their end-of-school party, she smiled, and went back to her knitting.

* * *

><p>Aidan ran the pool cleaner through the pool one more time. He smiled over at the girls, who were also done their portion of decorating. His sister smiled back at him, but Kylie seemed distracted. She looked side to side, her nose twitching as if she were smelling the air.<p>

"Ky, what's the matter with you?" Aidan asked.

Her face dropped. "We have to leave." She said. "It's not safe for you anymore."

Hanna looked shocked. "How dare you! We spend time and money setting up this party, and you say we have to leave!?"

Kylie looked at Hanna, her brown eyes brimming with sadness. "I wish we could stay, but the fact is, if I don't get you out of here, you and the rest of the house will be destroyed." Hanna looked up at the darkening sky, then at the streamers and balloons flapping madly in the wind. In the distance came a roll of thunder. She closed her eyes for a second, trying to keep from hitting her friend, then sighed.

"Fine. Let's go. AIDAN!" Without a moment of pause, Kylie dashed inside to grab the suitcases and keys to the car. Aidan rolled his eyes and followed closely behind.

The white Hummer snaked through traffic with such speed, no one would guess that a fourteen-year-old was driving. Inside the car, an awkward silence had descended upon the teenagers. Suddenly, Hanna broke the silence.

"Kylie, where we going?"

Kylie said nothing.


	5. Chapter 4: Dreams, Muffins and Shiloh

**Disclaimer- **DEHD owns Emma Todd and Shilo the dog. Sweeney and Nellie belong to Dreamworks, or Tim Burton, or whoever owns those rights. Just not us. The Passing Strange concept (Sweeney and Nellie alive in the 21st century) which Emma based this off of belongs to Pamena. Thank you Pamena! ;)

* * *

><p><strong>3:35am, May 25, 2029. Manhattan, NY<strong>

She had the dream again. The dream of a past life. The dream of her mother's death.

She could still see it perfectly, her mother sprawled on the hospital bed, dying of an organ failure too advanced for doctors to fix. She knew her mother was terminally ill, but she had no way of knowing her mother was this close to dying until it happened.

Her mother's last words were still embedded in her mind, eating madly at her soul.

"Let your life be your dream," she had said. "Integrity, honesty. It's too late for me. Don't look back until you're free."

Emma had never understood what she meant, but she reckoned it was too late to figure it out. She glanced over at the alarm clock next to her bed. 3:35. Still too early for anyone in their right mind to be awake. Granted, her family really wasn't in their right mind. Emma slipped silently out of her bed, seeing it useless to staying in her linen prison any longer. She crept quietly down the stairs, hoping she wouldn't wake up her aunt or uncle. They didn't need to worry about her again.

As she turned into the living room, Emma saw her uncle sitting motionless on the couch, the blue glow of the television screen illuminating his face. She turned around, in hopes of getting back up the stairs, but it was futile. Her uncle was staring her in the face, his dark eyes meeting hers. He motioned for her to come over to him, quietly asking,

"Are you alright?"

Emma sighed and sat down. It wasn't that she didn't like her uncle, she had just hoped that she could have the room to herself for a while, without anyone bothering her or asking about her problems. She knew, however, that her uncle understood. He too had experienced unexpected heartbreak and loss in a matter of seconds. Emma could only imagine that it had to have been worse for him, as he had lost his only daughter.

Emma was jolted out of her thoughts by her uncle's voice.

"Seriously, Em, you alright?"

She paused a little before replying,

"Yeah . . . Yeah, I'm fine. Just . . ."

"Bad dream?"

"Yeah."

"I'm here if you, you know, if you ever want to . . . to talk."

Her uncle sounded unsure of himself, but Emma knew that this seemingly small act of kindness meant a lot coming from her uncle, who usually showed no emotion at all.

Emma smiled at him and said a quick word of thanks before sinking into the leather couch to watch whatever random TV show was on at four in the morning. Calmed by her uncle's presence, Emma drifted back into a sea of pleasant, dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>9:26am, May 25, 2029. Manhattan, NY<strong>

When Emma woke up, she was sprawled out across the couch. The smell of muffins wafted through the room and the sound of her Aunt Nellie's voice filled her head.

"Mornin', love! Sweeney told me you weren't feelin' too well, so I decided to make breakfast!"

Emma couldn't help but smile. It was impossible not to, for her aunt's cheeriness seemed to rub off on everyone who came in contact with her. Even her Uncle Sweeney seemed to brighten when she walked in the room.

Rolling off the couch, Emma walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Her aunt skipped over to her, plopped a fresh hot chocolate chip muffin in front of her, and sat down.

"Eat up," Nellie commanded. "It'll make you feel better, I swear."

Emma smiled and took a small bite.

"So I was thinking," her aunt started, "maybe you could walk the dog, you know, take him to the park or something. Your skin's been lookin' mighty pale . . ."

She trailed off as Emma raised a suggestive eyebrow in her aunt's direction.

"Oh, good point," Nellie said quickly. "I shouldn't be talking. Anyways, when you get back from walking Shilo, I was thinking we could go to see a movie or something, just the three of us. Sound good?"

Emma nodded and walked down the hall to find the tiny ball of fluff she called Shilo. After finding the puppy and throwing on some fresh clothes, Emma walked into the living room. She went to the door, but Nellie stopped her, engulfing her in a hug. Sweeney just looked at her, but she saw the tiny glint of warmness in his eyes. Emma stepped out of the apartment, hoping that the day could only get better.

As she walked down the usually busy streets, Emma noticed that it was unusually quiet. Sure, there were pedestrians and the occasional car, but the air seemed still, like the calm before the storm. Emma noticed the sun slowly being covered by clouds, and she worried about being stuck in the middle of Manhattan with a puppy.

Suddenly, a boy shot out of an alleyway. He looked to be a little older than Emma, and he seemed to be running for his life. When he saw Emma, though, he stopped in his tracks. The kid smiled slightly before he walked over to her, gave her a quick once-over, looked her straight in the eyes and said,

"You need to come with me. Now."

Emma looked at the boy, observing his appearance. He had dark brown curls and chocolatey-brown eyes, not the kind of person that would kidnap someone. Still, Emma didn't trust him.

"Please," he asked again, this time with a note of urgency in his voice. "You really, really need to come with me. Seriously, it's an emergency."

"Who are you?" Emma asked, almost angrily. "And why the heck do I need to go anywhere with you?"

"Look," he said quietly, "I'm Nick, and if you don't come with me, this day will almost certainly be your death."

Emma pulled her cell phone out of her back pocket, ready to call the police when Nick snatched the phone out of her hand and smashed it on the asphalt at their feet.

"Sorry about that, but they'll find you faster if you use a cell phone. Learned that one the hard way."

"What? Who's chasing you? And why is my cell phone a bad thing?"

"They're looking for you, really, the monsters, and . . . oh, crap, there's one now."

Emma turned around to see what Nick meant and sure enough, in the distance, a thing was making its way towards them.

"I'm sorry," Nick said, "But I'm going to have to use your dog as bait. It'll distract the monster, because it smells like you, but it'll have to die."

"What? But I . . ." Emma trailed off, staring into Nick's pleading eyes. "Well, I guess, better Shilo than us."

Nick gave her a smile of gratitude before unleashing the dog and sending it towards the beast. Emma looked at it sadly before she turned to Nick, saying,

"You are going to get me a new one. Promise?"

"Promise."

Emma looked towards the apartment she had left earlier, wondering what would happen to her aunt and uncle now that she was gone. Nick's voice suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Let's go."

Nick grabbed her hand and the two of them took off sprinting down the streets of New York as fast as their legs could carry them.


	6. Chapter 5: Bulls, Gods and Goats

**12:07pm, May 25, 2029. Chambersburg, PA**

David's head hit the back of the van again. He leaned back on his elbows and asked, "Mr. Charles, can we, like, stop driving so crazily?"

"I told you," the goat-man replied, "Call me Ray. And, no, we cannot stop 'driving so crazily.'"

"Why not?" David was still trying to piece the past events together. He had walked into Lou's Florist and then he entered the "Employees Only" room. Next thing he knew, he had been hit by a shovel-wielding goat-man! Now, David was stuck in some dirty, manure-smelling van driven by that stupid goat-dude.

"They prefer the term 'satyr.'"

David jumped and turned around. There was a dark-haired boy of about fourteen-years-old sitting next to him. *

"Where did you come from?" David asked.

The van suddenly shifted to the side, causing David to hit his head on the van's wall.

The boy just smiled smugly and said, "Talon Jackson, the extremely handsome, very intelligent, and super awesome neodemigod, at your service."

"Neo-what? How did-? Where... Who? I- you- what?"

"You sure picked a smart one, Ray," the boy - Talon - laughed. "Why don't you try again, Big-Eyes?"

"You're a neo-what? How did you get here? Where-?" Sputtered David.

Talon held up his hand for silence then answered, "A neodemigod."

"What's that?"

The neodemigod sighed. "Do you know what a demigod is?"

"No." What was this guy thinking? Demigods?

"Ok, let's back up." The van swerved again, making Talon grit his teeth. "Ray, drive straight! You listening, Ray? Straight!" Turning back to companion, he continued, "Anyways, have you heard of the Greek gods?"

"Um," David paused. "Yeah, I think so. Zeus, right? The fake ones, right?"

All of a sudden, there was a boom of thunder. David jumped and peered out of the window. The sky was clear over the bridge they were crossing, but David definitely heard thunder.

"Yeah," Talon slowly said, nodding. "They don't like you saying stuff like that."

"Why do you keep talking like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like those gods are real."

Another boom of thunder in the cloudless sky. Talon slapped his forehead.

"They are real."

"What?"  
>"The Greek gods, the titans, Mount Olympus, all of it."<p>

"You're joking."

"How can I be?"

"This is a dream." David closed his eyes and muttered. "This is just a weird dream."

Talon grabbed David's wrist and hit him with David's own hand. "This is not a dream! How can Ray exist? He's a satyr!"

"Maybe he's like a science experiment gone wrong." David tried to reason.

"I heard that!" Ray the Goat-man called from the driver's seat.

"NO, Ray is a satyr!"

David could see Talon getting frustrated.

"This is crazy," said David. "You guys are crazy. Let me out of this van."

Talon opened his mouth to reply but, suddenly, there was a great crash and the van rocked to the left.

"Ray!" Talon yelled. "At least act like you have a driver's license!"

"It wasn't me!"

"Look!" David stared out the window, his mouth opening and closing, trying to form words.

There was a giant bull chasing them, smashing cars and other vehicles in its path. When David looked again, he realized it wasn't completely a bull. From the waist down, the bull had human legs.

"It's, uh, a... uh," David's brain was working feverishly, trying to comprehend what was going on.

"A minotaur," Talon said, clenching his teeth, "Always the minotaur. Never a sphinx or a manticore. Why not a Drakon? Nope, only the Minotaur."

David was still speechless. A Minotaur? They weren't supposed to exist!

The Minotaur crashed into one of the Mack trucks only a few yards away. David looked at the front of the van where Ray was fighting for control of the vehicle. The air was filled with the crashes of the Minotaur and the screams of the people who had been traveling on the bridge. Someone was also screaming in the van. David quickly realized that the screaming person was him.

The Minotaur was almost upon them when David realized that, during the past few minutes, Talon had not moved.

"Um, Talon? Neodemo?"

"Neodemigod," Talon replied, turning his head.

David watched as Talon stuck his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small chess piece- a knight, David recognized- and handed it to David.

"What's this?" David asked, turning it with his fingers. It was made out of some sort of bronze, but was surprisingly light.

"Um, what is this?" David asked again.

He tossed the knight piece in the air and caught it. But when it landed in David's hand. it was no longer a chess piece. In its place was a sharp, three-foot-long sword.

"What!?" David cried out, dropping the sword.

"Whoa!" Talon carefully picked it up and held it out to David. "Don't do that! You're gonna hurt someone."

David, dazed, took the sword and leaned back. It was the same color as the bronze knight and David saw a horse etched on the blade. The handle was long enough for him to hold the sword with both hands. At the base of the hilt was a carved bronze head of a horse.

David opened his mouth to ask a question, when the van shifted violently. His head jerked back, hitting the metal wall. Muttering a few colorful words, David looked out the van's back windows. Behind them, the bridge was a mess. Cars were turned over, people running and screaming in panic, but the "minotaur" was nowhere in sight.

Suddenly, the beast's face filled the window, upside-down. Its eyes were bloodshot and wild, long strings of drool dripped from its mouth. The Minotaur let out an ear-splitting roar and tore one of the van's rear doors off its hinges.

Flinging the door behind it, the bull-man tore the second door off the van and threw it away.

"I hope that didn't hit anyone," David tried to joke, smiling weakly.

In response, the Minotaur stuck its head in the van and roared again.

"No? Not working for you? Wow," grimaced David, wiping Minotaur drool off his face.

Talon suddenly leapt into action, lunging forward and yelling, "Ray! Stay on the bridge! Too many people on the mainland."

Talon raised his arm, his hand open, in the direction of the monster.

_What's THAT going to do?_ David thought, waiting for the minotaur to bite Talon's hand off. Instead, the beast flew backwards, off the van, as if a giant hand had smacked it.

"Are you like, a jedi or something?" David asked. _How did he do that?_

"A neodemigod," Talon said.

David's jaw dropped as Talon jumped out the back of the moving van, and _flew_.

"Don't see _that_ every day, do ya?" Ray grinned, looking in the rearview mirror. David was speechless, as he watched Talon hit the Minotaur in the jaw, causing the beast to fall over onto its rear end. The neodemigod grabbed the Minotaur by its horns and lifted it into the air. Ray stopped the van and David looked out the open back of the vehicle. For a minute, Talon and his monstrous foe disappeared into the clear, blue sky.

Then, the Minotaur came falling through the sky. David squinted at the flailing monster and saw Talon actually pushing the Minotaur toward the ground. There was a great cloud of dust when the Minotaur crashed onto the bridge.

Through the dust swirling in the air, David spotted two shapes colliding and separating. It seemed like a scene out of an action movie. Add some explosions and it would be fit for Hollywood.

The haze cleared just in time for David to see the most amazing sight that he would not soon forget.

Talon used his Jedi Force push thing, sending the Minotaur sprawling. Then, while in midair, Talon held out his hand, palm open. Even from twenty feet away, David saw Talon's forearm glow bright blue. On Talon's forearm appeared some sort of mystical symbol. Starting from Talon's wrist was one line that branched off into smaller lines.

The strange mark shone light blue; David had never seen anything like it. It flashed brightly and David felt a surge of power fill the air. Water of the river below erupted in streams from both sides of the bridge. The columns shot into the air and arched down into Talon's open hand.

The water seemed to solidify into the shape of a sword.

"How-?" David's voice trailed off. This was amazing. David had never seen anything like it. The Minotaur snarled and raised one of its arms, ready to squish the repugnant insect that was Talon. The boy just grinned and taunted the beast.

"That's all you got, ya mangy lunk?" Talon yelled. "Gotten tired of being beaten all the time, have you?"

David watched as Talon shifted into a fencing position, the neodemigod's sword arm waving the water sword in the monster's direction.

"That all you got?" Talon said again, this time in a bad British accent. "You stink! You smell like my grandmother!" Talon abruptly stopped and glanced up at the sky.

"My bad! I didn't mean that, Athena!"

David frowned. Who was he talking to? Talon resumed his fighting stance.

"Have at thee, foul beast!"

With that, Talon jabbed at the Minotaur's leg. The beast roared, and smashed his fist at the ground, near Talon. The neodemigod leapt out of the way, landing on a crushed taxi.

"My, my, such bad aim," Talon scolded and sprang off the taxi onto the lowered arm of the creature. David's jaw dropped again as Talon raced up the Minotaur's hairy limb, a maniacal grin spreading across the neodemigod's face.

Talon's water sword wavered, the blade becoming "S" shaped. David thought the water was going to disperse and lose its semi-solid form. Instead, it reformed into a giant war hammer.

Even though it was made of water, David figured the hammer must weigh a sizeable amount. Despite that, Talon swung the formidable weapon in the air as though it were a thin stick of wood. The neodemigod smashed the right side of the Minotaur's head with the gigantic water weapon, spinning his beastly foe like a supercharged top. Slowly, the beast stopped whirling and landed hard on its rear end, cracking the surface underneath. The creature's formidable foe lifted the hammer, crashing it down on the dazed Minotaur.  
>As soon as the weapon made contact with the mythological creature, the terrifying half man, half bull evaporated into a shower of golden dust.<p>

David stared in awe and shock as Talon casually let the water hammer liquidize, and stood up. With a good-natured grin and an arrogant air about him, the boy walked towards the dented and misshapen van as if only returning from a morning stroll.

"Still think it's a dream?"

* * *

><p>"So let me get this straight," David said as Talon sighed again. They were still in the beat up van, now heading down Route 66 at sixty miles per hour. For the past hour and a half or so, Talon had been trying to explain to David what a demigod was, and the fact that all of the Greek myths were indeed, very real.<p>

"There are are gods living on a place called Mount Olympus, above the Empire State Building in New York," David said slowly, as if his brain was still evaluating the facts he had heard for more than an hour. "And those gods have children with mortals and those children are called demigods. Those demigods inherit powers from their godly parents. Now, if two demigods have a kid, that kid is called a neodemigod. A neodemigod has some powers of their godly grandparents, plus some more. So far, so good?"

"Right," Talon replied tiredly. "The most common neodemigod powers are super strength, agility, and telekinesis."

"What?"

"What?"

"The telekinesis thing."

"What about it?" Talon asked as the van hit a pothole.

"What is it?" David had given up on the theory of this whole ordeal being a dream. It felt too real, plus he had received quite a bump on his head, thanks to the van and Ray the satyr's _amazing _driving. Unless it was like that movie about dreams that he had seen, there was no way that this could be a dream.

"Telekinesis means that I can move things with my mind, like pushing the Minotaur. I can even move myself." To demonstrate, Talon began floating in mid-air while simultaneously lifting various objects in the van.

"So, you mean, in the battle on the bridge, you weren't actually flying?" asked David as he continued to stare at the large, orange-red shard of a ceramic pot hovering in front of his face.

"Nope, I was just lifting myself," answered Talon, gently lowering himself, the bits of broken pots, and a trowel.

There was a moment of silence, filled only with the sound of cars honking at Ray for cutting in front of them. Finally, David sat up and asked, "Why was the minotaur-thing chasing us?"

"The minotaur is a monster," Talon replied.

"No kidding," David cut in.

"Let me finish. Monsters have a sort of genetic coding to hunt and kill demigods. They're normally hellhounds or giants, but the Minotaur has personal issues with my family."

"So when you came to me you endangered my life? I could have been killed?" David's eyes widened. "So why did you bring me here?"

Talon chuckled and said, "You misunderstood me. The Minotaur would be here even if I wasn't. It wasn't going after me."

"What?" David slowly breathed.

"It was coming for you."


	7. Chapter 6: Vans, Lakes, and Exposition

**3:10pm, May 25, 2029. Elizabeth, NJ**

David was speechless.

_Me? Why would an overgrown bull-man try to kill _me_?_

"B-b-but why?" He was stunned, barely breathing.

"You don't get it yet?" Talon said, shaking his head. "You're a demigod."

"I'm . . . me? A demigod?" _That's not possible._ "How?"

"You can't remember your parents, can you? Did you even know them? I don't think so. Am I right?" Talon said, daring David to say no. "You have trouble focusing on only one thing? Your brain is preparing for battle. Dyslexic? Your brain's hardwired for ancient Greek. I'm telling the truth, aren't I?"

It _was_ all true. He had never known his parents. He had grown up on the streets, fending for himself and managing to live another day. Back when he was little, David thought it was only luck that kept him alive on the streets of Las Vegas. Now he knew it was his battle instincts that helped him escape the gangs of Las Vegas.

"Then who's my godly parent" David wondered. "Zeus? Hades? Hera? What about that war dude?"

"I have no clue."

"What? But you just said -"

"I said you were a demigod. I never said I knew what you are." Talon corrected. "Anyways, Hera's the goddess of marriage; she doesn't have any demigod kids. Plus, if you belonged to Zeus or Hades, you'd be dealing with a lot more than a minotaur."

Nodding, David leaned forward and stuck his head out the shattered window. He was surprised there were no police or media officials trailing behind them. Someone must had seen Talon's brawl with the minotaur. David's new- and only-friend had reassured him that no one had seen what had really happened on the bridge.

"It's called the Mist." Talon had explained. "It obscures mortals' vision. What you see is a sword, but to a mortal it may just be a wooden baseball bat. They only see what they want to. They're really stubborn that way."

"So you're a neodemigod of who?" David wondered.

"Poseidon and Athena," Talon said, proudly. "I'm the son of Annabeth Chase Jackson and _the_ Percy Jackson."

"Who?"

"You don't know him? He saved the world four times!" the neodemigod proclaimed, incredulously.

"Um, ok..."

"Wow, you really did live in a dumpster."

To David, insults like those just rolled off his back.

"So what's so special about this Percy Jackson dude?"

For the next half hour, Talon recounted the whole story of Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon, the hero of the Olympians and the world as they knew it. How he stopped a three-way god war and found Zeus's master bolt. How he survived the Labyrinth and other tribulations. "But most importantly," Talon had claimed, Percy Jackson had stopped Kronos from taking over the world.

"Kronos is the king of the titans and titan of time," Talon explained. "The titans were the previous rulers of the universe before the gods of Olympus. Kronos was, like, a really paranoid dude so he ate his kids, which were the gods. But Zeus, the king of the gods, was saved and he later rescued his siblings by cutting. Kronos. into. little. pieces!"

With each word, Talon sliced through the air, as if he was "cutting Kronos into little pieces."

"Anyways, Kronos-"

_Let me guess, he returned,_ thought David.

"- returned," finished Talon predictably. "But in the body of a Hermes (the god of thieves, remember?) demigod, called Luke Castellan, who really stole the master bolt. But then, in the end, on Olympus, just when Kronos was about to take over and destroy the gods, Luke sacrificed himself to destroy Kronos."

"So it was actually this Luke dude who saved the world?"

"No! My dad was the one who convinced him."

"Um, okay." It was pointless to tell Talon otherwise.

Another hour passed, then suddenly the air in front of them shimmered, and a middle-aged man's face popped into focus.

"Hello, Talon," the head greeted. "How are you boys doing? Talon, I need a favor from you..." 

**4:07pm, May 25, 2029. Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, NY.**

David fell forward as the van lurched to a halt. The last half hour of the trip had been really lonely since Talon left. He wouldn't miss the stuck-up rambling, though. David turned his head to the door of the van as Ray pulled it open. As the rays of light shot into the interior of the van, David ducked. After not seeing light for almost three hours, it was painful.

"Okay, trip's over." The gruff satyr leaned on the frame of the van, peering into the interior. "Finally, we're here."

David hopped out of the van, following the groaning satyr.

"Ugh, I can finally stretch my legs," Ray shook his furry hindquarters and cracked his neck. "Let's get you to the Big House."

"Big House?" David barely had time to look around before Ray took his shoulders and drove him up the hill. Looking straight up the hill, David saw a gigantic golden wall, shimmering in the preevning light. Behind it, something hung on the branches of a nearby tree.

"Watch Peleus's tail," Ray said, stepping over the - dragon, David realized - carefully. "He hates when you step on it."

Ray led David all the way up the hill, past a regular-looking country home, onto the top of the hill overlooking a valley.

What David saw took his breath away.

When Talon had said "camp", David had envisioned tents, s'mores, maybe a pool. Instead, David saw a stable full of horses, an archery range, a field full of strawberries, an open pavillion, and a beautiful, sparkling lake.

Ray took David down the hill, towards the strawberry fields. David looked back at the lake, sighing wistfully. It had been so long since he had touched clean water...

"Hey, Ray?" David asked, tapping the satyr on the shoulder, "Can we go down to the lake, instead?"

"Yeah, sure." Ray said, turning around, "I think most of the campers are there, anyways."

As they approached the lake, David slowed to a halt.

"Wait," he said to Ray, "Hold these." David kicked off his shoes, tossing them to Ray. "And this." David pulled off his shirt, dropping it into Ray's arms. "And hold this, too, will you?" David loosened his belt and pulled off his pants, dropping them into the satyr's already full arms and sprinting past him to the lake.

Clad only in his I 3 VEGAS boxers, David ran past the Frisbee players, jumped over the sunbathers, and tore through a little girl's sand castle, then dove into the lake. He surfaced, letting his hair flow back out behind him. In front of him, bubbles began coming up. David looked down, wondering what was happening. A figure was coming up from under him. David swam back, trying to avoid the rapidly ascending person. As they surfaced, David sputtered as he was blinded by the splash of water. He wiped the water out of his eyes and choked. Floating in front of him was the most beautiful - albeit one of the only - girls he had ever seen.

"Hi!" she said, tossing her brown and blonde hair back, "I'm Holly. Holly Verveat. Aphrodite cabin. I don't recognize you. Are you new here?" David, at a loss for words, simply nodded and kept staring.

"Oh, really? I think we'll be great friends!" Holly wrapped her arms around David and hugged him tightly. She let go and grabbed his hand. "C'mon, I'm gonna show you around the Camp!"

Holly and David, still in their bathing suits, walked around the camp. She had shown him the stables, the archery range, the climbing wall (yes, that's real lava), the armory, the dining hall, and they even ventured into the woods to see Zeus's Fist. Now they were just outside the ring of cabins around Hestia's hearth. They had long since dried off, and David, accustomed to being fully clothed in the Las Vegas sun, was freezing.

"Hey, Holly?" David grabbed her arm and immediately let go to wrap his own arms around himself. "Can... Can I get some clothes anywhere around here?" Holly looked at him, as if noticing for the first time that he was in his underwear.

"You don't have clothes?" she said hesitantly, as if she couldn't believe anyone could possibly not own clothes. "We need to change that." She took his hand and stomped through the ring of cabins. She came to a stop outside a frilly pink cabin, with lacy curtains in the windows and pink flower boxes.

"Really?" David said, eyeing the cabin suspiciously from behind Holly. "I think I'll just freeze, instead."

"Oh, stop it." Holly said, grabbing his arm. "We'll make sure you never look like this again."

"I'm not exactly reassured by that..." David said as Holly dragged him inside the cabin. 

An hour later, David stepped out of the Aphrodite cabin, feeling better than he ever had before. The guys had picked out his clothes, while the girls cut and dyed his hair into something that one of them, sporting the same look, called the 'emover'. While they were working, like most stylists, the Aphrodite girls talked. David learned everything that Talon had not told him, and then some. When the guys were dressing him ("It's okay, guys, I think I can dress myself. Wait, what's this?"), they had their share of news, as well. Now David was standing outside, adjusting his belt buckle. He couldn't wait for Capture the Flag. Hopefully, he'd get to kick some with the rest of the campers.

"You!" David turned to see Ray the satyr trotting up the hill from the lake. "I've been looking all over for you! I thought you had tried the rock wall and got scorched!"

"Sorry," David said, throwing up his hands in an 'I'm clean' gesture, "I got caught up with Holly. The Aphrodites completely redid me. You like it?" He tossed his now black and red hair across his face.

"Yeah, yeah," Ray said, waving David off. "You'll be late for dinner. And I still have all your clothes." Ray tossed David's jeans at him, followed quickly by his shirt and shoes. "This crap is disgusting. How did you live in this?"

David ignored him, trying to see if he left anything in his pockets. He shook his jeans and something fell out on the grass. He bent down to pick it up and saw that it was the chess piece Talon had given him. He twirled it in his palm, half-expecting it to become a sword. When it didn't, he sighed and stuck it in his back pocket. New clothes, new home, new life, maybe things were finally going his way.


End file.
